Floor-plate



2 Sheets-Shet 1.

v(No Model.)

W. J. BALDWIN.

' FLOOR PLATE. No. 490,094. Patented Jan. 17, 1893.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets4Sheet 2.

- W. J. BALDWIN.

FLOOR PLATE. V No. 490,094. Patented Jan. 1'7, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

WILLIAM J. BALDNIN, OF BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK.

FLOOR-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,094, dated January17', 1893.

Application filed May 29, 1891, Serial No. 394,600. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. BALDWIN,

of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Floor-Plates, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in floor plates for maintainingheating pipes in their proper place in openings in floors and ceilingsor walls, through which openings the heating pipes pass. Since the tireordinances of many cities and towns provide that there must be a minimumof space, as specified in the several ordinances, between the outersurface of the heating pipes and the surrounding wood work of the flooror ceilings, some device which will retain the heating pipe at itsspecified distance from the wood work when the pipe passes through doorsand ceilings is necessary; and for practical reasons it is alsonecessary that this device should be easily applied, and cheap, andshould allow for the expansion and contraction of the branch lines ofheating pipe. Hitherto the common method of making such floor plates hasbeen to cast them in annular plates with a central opening of propersize to fit around the heating pipe. Then when the floor plates are tobe nsed,they are broken diametrically into two halves by the Workman,and the two halves are placed around the pipe and screwed to the door.But this is not a neat and workmanlike proceeding, and the plates beingscrewed to the floor, can not accommodate themselves to the expan sionsand contractions of the branch lines of pipe.

My improvement, therefore, consists in forming the floor plate in twohalves in combination with simple means for securing the two halvestogether after they are placed around the heating pipe, and also incombination with devices which will compensate for the expansion andcontraction of the branch lines of pipe, while always holding theheating pipe that passes through the floor or ceiling at its properdistance from surrounding wood work.

Referring now to the drawings which accompany the specification to aidin the description, Figure 1 is a view showing a heat ing pipe andbranch line in elevation, and the floor plate in section, on the line XXof Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is a plan view from above of the two halves of thefloor plate, as in position around a pipe, not shown. Fig. 3, is an edgeview of one half of a floor plate on the diameter Z-Z. Fig. 4, is aview, looking up, of the bottom of the two halves of the floor plate,and showing one of my devices for securing the two halves of the platetogether. Fig. 5, is a section of the two halves of the floor plate onthe line Y-Y, of Fig. 2, or I I of Fig. 4, showing the device forsecuring the two halves together before it is riveted or clinched.Fig.6,isasimilarsection,butshowin g the devicefor securing the twohalves of the floor plate after it is riveted down or clinched. Fig. 7,is a perspective view of the device for securing the two halves of thedoor plate together before it is riveted or clinched. Fig. 8, is an edgeview as on the line Z-Z of Fig. 2, showing another means of securing thetwo halves of the lioor plate together, and Fig. 9, is a section of thesame on the line XX of Fig. 2.

My floor plate may be either of cast or of wrought or malleable iron.hen it is made of wrought or malleable iron, 1 form the two halves A, B,as semi circles of equal diameter, and with a semi-circular opening, a,Z), in each so that when the two are placed together edgewise on theirdiameters, as in Fig. 2, they will form a circular plate with a centralopening, 0, of a size to admit of the passage of the heating pipe D, andaround the semi-circular openings at, Z), will be formed semi-circularcollars or flanges, c, c, which will fit around the heating pipe, D.When the two halves, A, B, of the floor plate are of wrought ormalleable iron, I punch semi-circular or elliptical slits, e, e, in eachplate, equidistant from the semi-circular openings, on, 1). Thus I formtongues, or prongs, f, f, which are then bent downward, as seen in Figs.1 and 3, so that there are formed a number of such prongs, f, f,equidistant from the pipe'openings, a, b, a suflicient distance tocomply with local ordinances, and which prongs, f, f, are formedsufficiently long to project below the half plates, A, B, to engage withthe flooring, G, which flooring, G, willbe out out with a circular hole,H, somewhat larger than the circle of the prongs,f,f. Now thcheatingpipe, D, being set up through the floor, G, the workman takes the twohalves of the floor plates, A, B, and places them around the'pipe, D,and secures them by my devices in the manner to be immediately hereindescribed.

In each half, A, B, of the floor plate,I punch or otherwise form slotsj,j, parallel to the di ametrical abutting edge of said plates, A, B.Said plates, A, B, will preferably have a rim, '5, i, bent downward toform a flange about three times as deep as thefioor plate, A, B, isthick, and from the aforesaid slots, j, j, to the diametrical abuttingedges of each half of the floor plate, A, B, there will be a.depression, 70, Z, of a depth equal to the thickness of the half floorplates, A, B.

My fastener is a plate, M, of wroughtiron, or other pliable metal, of athickness equal to the thickness of the floor plates, A, B, and of asquare or rectangular shape, and of area greater than the rectangleformed by joining the slots 3', j. Parallel slits, m, m, are cut intoopposite edges of the plate, M, forming prongs, n, n, and the slits m,m, are cut into the plate, M, so deep that when the prongs n, n, arebent up, as in Fig. 7, they will just correspond to the slots, 3', j, inadjoining halves,

A, B, of the floor plate, andthat the prongs n, n, will be long enoughto just about meet when bent down, as in Fig. 6.

The workman will proceed as follows: After he has placed the two halves,A, B, of the floor plate around the heating pipe, D, he will raise firstone and then the other half, A, B, a little and place one of theaforesaid fasteners underneath so that the prongs, n, n, will project upthrough the slots, j, 7'. Then he will lower the halves of the floorplate, A, B, to the door, when by reason of the depth of the rims, 'i,2, being equal to the sum of the thickness of the half floor plates, A,B, and of the fasteners, and the depth of the depressions, 70, Z, theunderside of said depressions, 70, Z, will rest on the fasteners. Thusby a riveting hammer, or pliers, the workman can bend down and draw theprongs, 'n, 'n, of the fasteners, as seen in Fig. 6, whereby the twohalves, A, B, of the floor plate will be firmly fastened together.

It is evident that this fastener provides a very simple means both forconnecting and for disengaging the two halves of the floor plates, A, B,should it be desired to separate the said two halves. By reason of thehole, II, in the Wood-work being somewhat larger than the circle of theprongs it is evident that the pipe D may move a little in the floor toaccommodate itself to the expansions and contractions of the branchlines 0. The two halves of my floor plate, A, B, may be cast, and thenthe prongs, fif, will be formed at the casting of the plates, A, B, or aflange may be substituted for the prongs.

In place of fasteners, as hereinbefore described, I may use the deviceshown in Figs. 8 and 9, for uniting the two halves of my plates. This isespecially adapted to cast iron plates, and consists of diametricalribs, 19,19, which are formed on the underside of the plates, A, B, witheyes, q, q, for bolts. The ribs p, 19, do not extend entirely across theunder side of the plates A, B, but stop at the opening for the heatingpipe, as seen in Fig. 8. floor plate are placed around a heating pipe,the ribs, 1), p, of one half plate come against the corresponding ribsof the other half plate; a bolt r, is then passed through the edges, g,g, and a nut, s, is turned up to place on the bolt, as seen in Fig. 9.

Having thus described my device, I claim:

1. A floor plate formed in two semi-circular annuli each of which has arim substantially three times as deep as the thickness of the annulusand a depression parallel to the diameter in depth equal to thethickness of the annulus, slots in said depressions, and fastenerspassed through the slots and riveted down into the depressions, as andfor the purpose described.

2. A floor-plate formed of two semi-circular annuli, each of which has adepression parallel to its diameter, slots in the said depressions, andfasteners passed through the slots and riveted down into thedepressions, as described.

Signed at- New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 20th day of April, A. D. 1891.

WILLIAM J. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

EDWD. W. STARR, SIDNEY M. TEETER.

NVhen the two halves, A, B,of the Lil

